場合ファイル Case Files
by Lanowen
Summary: A peek into Naru's files brought back old memories......
1. Of Staircases and Falling Down from them

**A/N – Ahh This is the first time I'm writing a Ghost Hunt fic sooooo if I the characters get OOC and what nots please bear with it.**

**Thank You so much _fire phoenixia_** **for beta-ing!!!! Luv YOU!!!**

The _very famous and very heartbreaking_ disclaimer: Sad to say, I can't proclaim about owning Ghost Hunt so back off.

File 1 – **100 つのステップ #1  
** ––––––– **100 steps #1 ** –––––––

* * *

Panting heavily with her hands on her knees, she took a much-needed breather after the mad rush up the hill. Added to the frenzied sprint was the unrelenting sun beating down upon her shoulders which subsequently caused her to be drenched in sticky and smelly sweat.

"I'm so dead! I'm like 2 hours late! Naru's gonna kill me! Dammit it! What am I going to do?" groaned Mai.

She hesitated at the intersection of the fork, biting her lips and wiping her forehead with the back of her hand.

Should she take the shortcut down the flight of steps (in totally an exact hundred!) to the SPR's headquarters or the long route down the road leading to the main road and in the end to the head quarters?

It was so tempting to take the shorter route which would cut down her walking, or in this case, running time by half but recent weird happenings made her think twice.

There had been many incidences of students from the nearby schools who ended up badly hurt or dead when using the stairs. So far, two people had already fallen to their deaths, the reason being that the steps were not stable and had collapsed under their weight.

However, friends accompanying them had sworn that before the fall, there had been eerie wailing and screaming.

Even the wind had started to whip about them fiercely.

Shadows of distorted human shapes played peek-a-boo with their chosen victims before one would reach out to push the selected prey.

All the incidents not only varied in time but also, the reasons that caused them also differed.

There were many cases of the victims being pushed down or even tripping over a branch that could not be found later. With such creepy happenings, people subconsciously tend to avoid the place.

Mai also had funny feelings about the staircase.

Whenever she passed the place, she would feel queasy and had the urge to puke. It was either that or her head would pound furiously and would only subside after she left that place.

Talking about headaches, Mai could feel one coming.

Torn between decisions and with her head beginning to ache, she scanned both routes briefly.

Another look at her watch made up her mind for her. 'To hell with ghosts! It's noon, hot, _and_ horribly bright! A ghost wouldn't appear in such circumstances!'

Mind made up, Mai clutched her bag close to her body and ran down the steps two at a time.

Despite her believing in "its-noon-so-there-won't-be-any-ghost" outlook, she started to get the creeps halfway down the steps.

'Is it just me or am I not any nearer to the bottom of the steps?' she was already wheezing and her heart thudded painfully against her chest.

Searing adrenaline coursed through her body almost unbearably.

She tried to calm and slow down but thoughts like - 'It wouldn't take much. Just a little push in the back and I would go rolling down.' only served to drive Mai to move faster.

However, moving faster included more chances of her face meeting Mr. Ground and that was not what she wanted.

Also, just thinking about meeting Naru later made her so mad.

She would have to tell him the reason why she was so late and when he hears that it was because she had to retake a math test, he would probably smirk that infuriating smirk of his and look at her as if she had room temperature intelligence quotient!

And-Wahhhhh!!!

Mai felt something grab her left wrist. It burned, sending stinging jabs up her arm.

She tried to yank her arm back, but when she did, the momentum made her slip and fall.

Wheeeee! I'm flying!!!

As if.

Sharp spikes of fear ran down her spine as she went head over heels down the steps.

There seemed to be a pair of feet on the steps, which looked a little translucent, but it was gone when she blinked. **(A/N I know its so cliché)**

Mai could only watch as the scenery passed in a blur.

Her fingers scrambled to grab onto whatever that could slow down or stop her fall **(A/N You know this would never happen if not Mai would be your new wonder woman)** but gave up when the pain in herleft hand grew intolerable.

'I wonder if I'm going to break my neck when I fall and if so who's going to find me. The cleaner? The newspapers are going to have a field day. I can just imagine what the headlines would say. GIRL FALLS TO HER DEATH. NECK BROKEN, INSTANT DEATH.'

At this thought, Mai closed her eyes.

'I wouldn't want to scare the cleaner when he finds me. Corpses which have their eyes wide, open and staring at people would be sure to give one nightmares. Besides it's better to die looking serene. Hah.'

* * *

**A/N So, is Mai going to live? Laughing manically It's me being a sadist here. I'm sure the phrase xing zai le huo will describe me pretty well! 8-) Oh and is Mai OOC? Cause my beta/friend has never watched Ghost Hunt before so yeah.**


	2. Of a Couple of Bruises

A/N Uwaaa! So many reviews!! Thank You so much! Here is the chapter that you've all been awaiting! Enjoy! 

File 1 - **100 ****つのステップ****#2**

––––––– **100 steps #2 **–––––––

—

"_Mai!"_

Mai's eyes shot open and panicked. _Naru?!_

"Aahhhh! Oof!" Mai landed on hard on the floor and she sprawled ungainly on the cold, hard cement floor

Groaning as she sat up, she tried to turn her head 360 degrees around, searching for Naru…who was nowhere to be found.

That can't be. I could have sworn I heard Naru's voice. But where the heck is he!?

She frowned hard, so much so that her eyebrows knitted together, almost literally. She stood up quickly, which only served to cause an intense pain to rake up her spine.

"Owww!"

Her arms flailed about which unbalanced her and sent her falling backwards where her butt got to know Mr. Ground intimately.

"Today has certainly been a horrible day," muttered Mai under her breath "not only do I fail my math test, I even had to retake it after school, which caused me to be so late WHICH will also be the reason of Naru being seriously annoyed at me. And when Naru's annoyed, everyone beware! An annoyed Naru is something you wouldn't want to mess with!!"

After this outburst, there was total silence before Mai burst out saying.

"Ahhh, I can't believe I'm talking to myself. I think the faster I get out of here the saner I would be!"

Getting up, though this time slowly, Mai picked up her things that had dropped out of her bag while she tumbled down.

Brushing her skirt and trying to neaten up her hair, she mused to herself. "Shucks, my back is going to hurt like crazy tomorrow. And then I will be starting to walk like an old lady, hunching in pain!" '

Her thoughts wandered of to another, her hair.

Luckily, gum stuck by inconsiderate people on the steps hadn't stuck to her hair. If it had, then she would have to shave her head bald…imagine what Naru would say.

Oh Kami-sama!!!

He would probably smirk and say, "Is this the current hair style that is all the rage nowadays? I must say through, I certainly can't see what style has got to do with it."

"Arggg! Why am I even entertaining such thoughts!! Ugh! And why is it about Naru! Well, at least I survived the fall with only cuts and bruises instead of breaking a leg or neck. And seeing how bad my luck was recently, I suppose today's not so bad after all!" smiled Mai before limping off towards the headquarters.

"I wonder if Naru would let me off and ask Lin-san to send me home……Nah, for him to do that, the sun would've had to rise from the west. But still…" sighed Mai, thinking wistfully.

What she didn't realise was that if she had turned back at that moment, Mai would have seen a teenage boy sitting at the foot of the steps, smirking maliciously as he twirled a bright pink pen with the kanji words 'Mai Rocks!' engraved on it.

—

Bou-san was the first person to greet her as Mai walked through the front door of SPR.

"Mai! Where were you? It's alre—" He broke of in mid speech when he realised there were cuts on both her arms and legs.

Her hair was mussed up and her clothes looked as though she had dragged them on the ground before wearing it.

He frowned slightly and opened his mouth, about question her when he noticed that she was clasping her left wrist loosely.

There was an angry red mark and looked as if it was burned into her skin. Bou-san peered at it closely and furrowed his eyebrows when he found that it resembled a handprint.

A handprint whose fingers were long and slender.

"Lin-san! Where's the first-aid kit? Mai's hurt and Naru, I think that you would want to see this, so come out of that hidey hole you call an office. You really remind me of a man I used to know who had just been paid a billion yen to go into hermit mode. It's a wonder your butt's not square shaped with all that sitting you do in there."

There was total silence before the bang of a door being slammed open was heard throughout the entire office.

Naru appeared and despite the death glare he was sending to the unfortunate monk, he crossed his arms and said languidly, "Takigawa. Do you know that dogs that bark the loudest are the weakest and the most unintelligent? Insulting me proves that you are nothing but an empty-headed fool. A plausible method to gaining my attention would be to request, however, it seems that your brain cells have expired quite some time ago."

"Insulting gets you out of your room sooner," grinned Bou-san, his eyes crinkling at the sight of a bothered Naru.

"Besides, it _is_ faster since I won't need to walk to your door, knock, ask and explain the whole situation to a _door,_ then wait for you to decide if it is worth coming out or not. So of course I would choose to insult you!"

Naru ignored him. Instead, he approached Mai and shut off Bou-san's cry of rationalization.

"Hey! You look here Naru and stop igno—" (From here onwards, it becomes a slight buzz in Naru's ear)

"Mai. Show me your left wrist."

Mai looked up from where she was sitting. At some point of time during Bou-san and Naru's exchange, Lin-san had guided her to the couch where he proceeded to clean her cuts.

Grimacing slightly at the sting as he wiped the alcohol swap across the cut, she wordlessly followed Naru's command and held out her hand, which he held in a light hold.

He glanced at it and asked, "How did you get your wrist burned?"

"B-Burned?" said Mai, her soft brown eyes going big and round.

"How can that be? It wasn't there before!" cried Mai, her voice rising in volume as she panicked.

"Are you sure Mai?" asked Bou-san.

At her nod, Naru unconsciously tighten his grip on Mai's wrist causing her to whimper in pain.

Without any apology as it was typical of him, he lessoned his grip.

He could have just said sorry. Was that so hard to say?

"Sorry."

"I said that out loud didn't I?"

At Naru's smirk, she groaned at her stupidity.

I really got to keep my mouth shut. It's going to be my downfall! Wailed Mai mentally, at the same time maintaining a serene expression.

There was no need to inform everyone that Taniyama Mai was losing her sanity.

Almost immediately, Naru spoke, smirking widely, "Sanity, wisdom, common sense and the ability to reason logically. All these insinuate the same thing. Of which, is something you lack."

Mai's jaw fell open.

Ho-How did he know what she was thinking?

He can't possibly be a mind reader, could he?

If so he would be able to read her mind and know that she was in lo—Ahhhhh!!!! Don't think about it!!!!!!

Help!

—

"So you felt someone yank you by the hand and so you lost your balance and fell?" questioned Naru, eyes narrowing in thought.

Mai nodded her head.

Before Naru could continue to question her, there was a knock on the door and Lin let in a portly man who walked— no 'walked' is not the right word to use – the portly man who _waddled_ into the sitting room and lowered himself on a chair that creaked under his weight

"Mai. Make some tea now."

"Naru! You can't ask Mai to do that. She's injured!" Bou-san protested loudly, arms folded across his chest.

Naru ignored him as usual and said, "I will be attending to the client here. Everyone, depart from this room without more ado. Also, do not fail to recall that I have plenty of jobs that can be done if anyone is free to stand around with nothing to do."

Mai grew pink and immediately studied the floor.

_Hm…look! The floor's so interesting! Don't the patterns remind you of candy?_

Naru gave her a pointed look, which didn't escape Mai.

_Come on, Come on, lets leave this room already. It's embarrassing!!_

As they filed out of the room, amidst Bou-san's protests, Naru, as if on an after thought, added in his usual cool and detached voice.

"Mai, the tea would not be needed. It is too warm an afternoon for it. So Takigawa, since you were so opposed to Mai making tea, you will assume responsibility for her job in the time being. You may start by bringing iced water for the client."

"You!"

The door that slammed into his nose cut off his objection immediately.

—

Naru waited patiently, oh so patiently.

He didn't have to wait long before Takigawa's cry of pain was heard through the walls.

He smirked with satisfaction.

_Serves him right._

—

**A/N I seemed to be big on Mr. Ground. Well whatever. And the candy remark of the floor sounded so random. XD Reviews anyone? The next chapter is where the real fun begins...**


	3. Of an Attack and a Couple of Dreams

**A/N: Yay!! Chapter 3 is finally done! This is like the revised edition number 5! XD For all those who reviewed, I will give you all a big thank you HUG!! Because of the long wait in my updating, here is a longer-than-usual chapter 3! Enjoy!**

—

File 1 - **100 ****つのステップ****#3**

––––––– **100 steps #3 **–––––––

—

He shifted his weight slightly, eyes taking in the décor of the SPR's office as he grimaced mentally.

It was austerely furnished containing only the required necessities of an average office.

The chair he was sitting on was not built for comfort, nor was it built for people like him who had excess weight. It took almost all of his concentration to keep his balance and not fall into a disgraced heap on the floor.

The cabinets were not used for displaying trophies or medals but books – many, many books. It was overflowing with numerous books on languages and even the culture of places he had never heard before, which indicated Shibuya-san's great interest in literature.

Just looking at it annoyed him greatly. _Books - _what good could they do? They were and always will be_ worthless_. Now, certificates and trophies were a different thing. For one thing, they could impress people. He certainly couldn't see howbookswould accomplish_ that._

Thoughts reverting back to the black-clad young man in front of him, he almost missed Shibuya-san's question.

"—ho do you think is the main culprit in the supposedly haunted steps, Fuyunomi-san?"

Clearing his throat loudly, he whined with a pout on his face, "Isn't that your job to find out Shibuya-san? And I assure you the steps are certainly haunted. Why, fourty-four years ago, several incidents identical to this happened. People seemingly lost their footing and died, some started wailing before dropping dea—"

"Yes, you have previously mentioned that. However, I beg to differ. On the condition that what you disclose is true, then may I be informed on why there is a lack of reports or information on it? I detest liars Fuyunomi-san." Said Naru, cutting off Fuyunomi-san sharply as his voice became hysterical.

"I'm being truthful! I even have clippings on the incident!" replied Fuyunomi hotly.

There was a slight pause as Naru contemplated the case. The only reason why he took on the case was because of Mai's mishap.

"I presume we have an agreement then. I will arrive by tomorrow and will need a room where all my equipment can be placed."

Firm and confident hands met with clammy ones and separated swiftly. Showing the client out, Naru's mind began working on all the feasible solutions to the case.

—

"Concentrate!" snapped Naru for the fifth time.

Jolting out of her daydreams, Mai almost dropped the camera she was currently holding.

"Careful Mai. Wouldn't want to add that camera to the already increasing lists of broken equipment would you?" teased Bou-san, with a slight twinkle in his eyes.

"Maybe you should enroll into a school to correct clumsiness. And if you can't afford the fees, then I'm sure Naru would sponsor you. It would be a great investment I would say." He mused.

Scowling at him, she fought the urge to drop everything she was doing to give him a nice, satisfying, hard whack on the head that he so dearly deserved.

But if she did that, Naru would be even more wound up so she settled for hissing at Bou-san a warning of what he would be getting the moment she was done with her work.

With that newly made resolve in mind, Mai continued setting up the different equipments such as the cameras while taking the temperatures of the surroundings in a newfound fervor.

Presently, the whole gang was here. They included the official people in SPR and the irregulars.

Bou-san, or Takigawa-san if you preferred, was a Buddhist monk from Mt. Koya. There was also Ayako who was a Shinto miko, Brown-san an Australian exorcist priest and Masako-san, a spirit medium.

And of course not forgetting Naru, the narcissist boss of SPR, Lin-san who was an onmoyji and Taniyama Mai who was the only undependable one in the group.

Why was she so undependable you ask? One might ask.

Well, it was because her powers flared up at random times and was thus referred to unreliable compared to the rest. Growling under her breath, she frowned angrily at that thought.

It wasn't her fault that her ESP abilities were "latent sensitivity", as referred to by Naru and had the miss rate of 1000/1000! It wasn't as if she could help it right?! What was she supposed to do? Practise mind exercises like mind cartwheels and mind somersaults?!?

—

At the forty-third step, Masako stumbled over her feet and fell.

But she stood up immediately, though a bit unsteadily, and flashed a bright smile at Naru, which led Mai to glower at her and entertain the thought that it was deliberate.

Mai could only watch angrily, fists slightly clenched as Masako brushed her kimono, sliding towards Naru. Damn her! Such underhand tricks should be banned! Naru would never fall for that!

Mai would have continued her mental rave but it was cut off by a horrified gasp as the earth began to tremble. Everyone stumbled and fell, as blood soaked coils rose from the ground, twisting and curling like some sick flower.

A sharp, piercing whistle punched the air as Lin's shiki appeared and attacked the coils.

There was a loud droning sound and the air around the coils could be seen vibrating, twisting and turning into a beautiful shimmer of colors so much like the auroras that lighted up the heavens. Deranged laughter reverted around the place, mocking at the twisted beauty of the scene.

Anything that touched it burst into flames or was burnt badly. This was apparent as an unfortunate leaf fell on the coils and immediately burst into a display of fireworks upon coming into contact with it. Everyone gulped nervously as they made extra effort to doge the swinging coils.

Hands on her ears, Mai moaned in agony, the droning making her head split with throbbing pain.

"Stop it! Stop it!! STOP IT!! Somebody!"

The stench of blood filled the air, seeping everywhere and Mai's eyes watered as she choked hard on the smell. She felt nauseated. Her breakfast of onigiri churned in her stomach, threatening to force its way out. Trying to settle her stomach but to no avail, she clenched her jaw and pressed a hand to her mouth, all the while shivering from the pounding headache.

Collapsing, Mai was horrified to find the ground oozing with blood. It was warm and sticky and if she didn't knew what it was, she would have been so comfortable, safe and happy. As it was, it seemed to pull her down like quicksand, drowning her and inducing a fear she had never felt before.

"Mai!" shouted Naru before he grabbed her arm hard enough to bruise and forcibly dragged her away, all the while shouting, "Everyone get out of here!"

But before anyone could do that, the blood soaked coils, which had been swaying in the air as if unsure what their objective was, suddenly stiffened.

They shuddered before shooting off at an inhuman speed towards Masako with only one purpose –_ to strangle_.

"Help—!" bit out Masako before she was cut off abruptly as the coils began to tighten round her slim narrow throat.

Air was immediately cut off and her eyes went wide with panic.

Only strangled sounds were heard as she tried to keep calm and chant her way out of the problem while her oxygen deprived arms trembled to form the hand signs.

Tears streamed down her cheeks to drip onto the floor as the coils burned her. The flames licked at her skin and the scene looked beautiful and terrible at the same time. Her chants were not helping and she was getting more and more frantic by the second.

The smell of burnt flesh was everywhere and Masako desperately tried to claw at the coils but her fingers just passed through them as if they were of thin air and her nails scratched at her own neck, raking even deeper cuts. To add to her injuries, she also got her fingers burnt badly in the attempt.

Jumping into the fray in the attempt to rescue Masako from her misery, Bou-san placed his legs firmly on the ground and chanted agitatedly, "Nau Maku San Manda Bazara DanKAN!"

As Bou-san chanted, the coils tightened their hold on Masako as if unwilling to let go of their victim. They pulsed with a greenish light as Masako let out a blood-curling scream, head tossing about and tears streamed down her face.

At that, Bou-san faltered in his chanting and the slip allowed the coils to collect more power. That was when Ayako added her chant to Bou-san's. Chanting together, the coils dulled and drooped in power, hanging lifelessly in the air.

The coils began to loosen their hold on Masako whose eyes were half closed in pain. "Quick! I don't know how long my spell will hold. Get her away from here!" shouted Bou-san.

Dodging the potentially dangerous coils, Lin-san grabbed hold of Masako. He only managed to stumble several steps away from the coils before control was lost and they exploded into spots of blood staining the floor before disappearing into nothingness in a split second…

—

_Mai found herself at the hundred steps. She looked around and realised that she was dreaming. _

_That means that I must have fainted huh._

_She waited expectantly for Naru to appear and was not disappointed when she heard a very familiar voice saying, "Mai."_

_Whirling around, Mai smiled brightly at Naru who was frowning at her with a worried look on his face, eyes dark with something unreadable._

_"Mai. Are you alright?" Taking her hand, he brought his other hand towards her face and stroked her cheek almost tenderly._

_Breath hitching, her heart beat painfully against her chest as she blushed at Naru's unusual display of concern for her. Cheeks flaming hotly, she tried to hide her hot cheeks by turning away and sprinted up a few steps._

_"Mai! Do not go there. It's dangerous!" warned Naru, shoulders suddenly tensing. The tender moment was broken and Mai wished with all her heart for the moment to return. Naru stretched out his hand towards her and his eyes seemed to beg her to come back._

_"Here?" questioned Mai as she frowned at the surrounding. _

_Why did it seemed so familiar? _

……………………………

……………………………

……………………………

_This is the exact same place where we were today! _

_With a sense of urgency, she asked, "Naru! Why is _this place_ dangerous? Please Naru! Answer me!"_

_Naru was quiet for a moment before answering with a bittersweet smile on his face, "It's because _she_ is here."_

_"She?"_

_"She's angry." Said Naru, ignoring Mai's question._

_"Who's _she_?"_

_"She wants revenge."_

_"Who is SHE?! Naru!"_

_"And she will do anything to get it."_

_"Naru! Answer me damn it!"_

_Breathing heavily, Mai's cheeks flushed with anger._

_Gazing sadly at her, he solemnly replied, "You do not know what terrible question you have just asked Mai. Being curious about her _will_ only get you killed. It would be better if you just left this place."_

_"But we are here on a case! Besides, your pride won't let us leave!"_

_Naru gradually began to fade. The surrounding blurred and Mai blink furiously to focus before she realised that the problem wasn't with her eyes but that the dream was changing._

_"I would think I treasure you more than my pride Mai. Remember to give when asked." His eyes were so sweet, mouth curling up into a slight smile that was so different from his usual smirk that made Mai's heart skip a beat._

_His voice was getting fainter and fainter and Mai had to strain her ears to hear him. Fear of being left alone consumed her and she cried out, "What do you mean by that? Don't go, No! Naru stay here with me! Don't leave! Come back!"_

—

"Oujou-chan! Daijobu ka?"

Mai cracked her eyes open only to see Bou-san looming above her. Surprised by him, she jerked her head up and crashed it into the unfortunate monk's head.

"Owww!" groaning loudly, they both clutched at their heads while Ayako and Brown-san guffawed at them.

Even stoic Lin was amused as mouth crinkled in the corners and his eyes twinkled merrily despite his best efforts to maintain his impassive features. Masako, who was in the bed next to her and whose neck and fingers were bandaged up, smiled and almost forgot to hide it behind her sleeve in her amusement.

But only Naru was not amused. "Are you all _done?_ We still have much work to do. In case that fact has escaped your unfortunately deprived mind, there is plenty of paperwork if anyone would like to volunteer."

That shut everyone up. Walking to the door, he paused briefly and said, "And Mai needs her rest. There're tones of filing for her to do and I require her to be well rested so she'll not fall asleep _again_ while at it."

At that, he strode out of the room, leaving behind a spluttering Mai.

—

That night, she dreamt again.

_Mai found herself at the hundred steps again. Although this time, she was at the top of the steps. _

_That was not all. _

_Mai noticed a girl clad in a wedding kimono standing nearby. Her hair was in disarray, with strands trailing out from her loosened bun. _

_Her kimono was splattered with dark spots of blood, a whole side of her almost drenched in it. The blood patterned her kimono, mocking the Sakura petals that were embroidered on it. Her eyes were blank and distant as if half asleep. She was so still that she could have passed for a human sized doll. But……No doll clutched at sharp bloody knives. _

_A chill raced up Mai's spine._

_In the distance, shouts of outrage were heard. _

_Hearing them, the girl seemed to wake up from her daze as she shook her head gently. A silent scream of horror escaped from her lips as she noticed the knife she was holding. She dropped it immediately as if she it was some hot coal and backed away hurriedly against the wall with a look of utter fear written all over her face. _

_Realization dawned on the girl's face and she covered her face sobbing loudly as five warriors fully clad in armor burst into the scene. _

_Taking in the sight in front of them, one of them shouted, "There she is! She's the one who killed the King! Her hands hold the evidence! Now get her!"_

_At this, they lifted their swords high in the air, muscles tensing as they prepared to sprint the short distance to kill her._

_"I-I didn't do it! It was Kujiounori! He killed the king! He fed me some drug and brought me here. I was framed! Please believe me! I swear I didn't do it!"_

_The girl was still weeping, and her eyes travelled from one warrior to the next, simply begging for them to trust her._

_"Men! Don't believe her! You saw the dead body of the King. Someone viciously stabbed him to death! The injuries were deep as if inflicted by a woman in a fit of anger. You all heard her outburst towards the King the other day. I love the King so dearly. He is my brother! I would never harm a single hair on his head. She lies, my brothers!"_

_A man appeared but he was hidden by the shadows and thus it was hard to see his features but Mai could have sworn that there was blood on his clothes — blood that had clotted. The smell of demise drifted on an upwind breeze towards Mai._

_Her mouth hanging open, she tried to warn the warriors about his deceit but she was utterly ignored._

_"How dare this woman deceive us with her lies about the King's brother! For her traitorous lies and deeds, let us inflict a punishment that mirrors the one she inflicted onto the King! AHH!!"_

_Mai screamed as she watched the tragedy unfold before her very eyes. __The warriors chased the girl up the steps as she tried to escape and had surrounded the girl and proceeded to stab her slowly. _

_She gasped and cried out, "Mercy for the innocent!" as her face contorted in pain, but they ignored her cries and proceeded to stab the girl, avoiding the organs to ensure a slow death. _

_Mai cried at the cruelty, salty tears burning her skin and clamped her hands over her ears to block out the screams emitted from the girl that spoke of countless sorrows and hurts. _

_She couldn't take it any longer. Running behind one of the warriors, Mai tried to pull him away but she found that she couldn't as h__e was just air to her touch. _

_Backing away, Mai covered both her eyes and ears as she wept with pity for the girl._

_Blood spurted onto the ground in large amounts as the more cruel warriors stabbed her continuously in the same wound over and over again. Mai knew that it would not be long before she died — she had lost too much blood._

_In her dying breath, the girl screamed loudly and in a strangled breath, she cursed, "You foolish warriors! I curse you all! You will all die! Your blood would burn in your veins and flow out through every opening in your body. And when you die, your blood would kill all your descendents by strangling th—!"_

_Her voice choked off as a warrior plunged his sword through her throat, effectively silencing her. _

_"Stop it please! I can't take it anymore!" sobbed Mai._

………………………………

………………………………

………………………………

_As her words faded into air, there was silence and Mai cracked an eye open, finding herself standing on air surrounded by spirit lights. She sniffed loudly and dried her eyes. _

_Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a boy her age twirling a pen that looked strangely familiar. Staring, she realised that it was her favourite pen, which she had lost. Anger filled her and Mai gave a shout._

_"What are you doing with my pen! Give it back!" _

_Cocking his head to one side, he grinned, "This? Oh, I found it on the floor one day and as the saying goes, finder's keepers losers' weepers, so I took it. I don't know who said that but I believe he is very wise. Don't you think so?"_

_"I_ _do _not_ think so!" groused out Mai. "Now return it to me!"_

_He clicked his tongue._

_"Is that how you ask for something? How disappointing it is to find myself being treated like that after I went through all that trouble to show you the past and I even had to use some of my powers to get rid of that interfering young man too. Now, it seems as though my use of powers were wasted."_

_He sighed mockingly, eyes gleaming with mischief. "Kids these days are ruder and ungrateful brats."_

"_What! You showed me _that?!_ Well, for your information, I certainly did not need it! Now give me back my pen!" With a cry, Mai leap towards the boy and wrenched the pen out of his grasp, taking advantage of his momentarily speechlessness._

The moment she touched it, she found herself sitting up in bed, her body drenched in sweat and her pajamas sticking to her like second skin. Her blankets had pooled to the ground, which she had probably kicked off at some point of time.

And in her hands, was her pen.

—

**A/N: Whoa! This chapter's seven pages long! Certainly an achievement for me! And apparently, story alerts seem to have some problems and so I'm currently having withdrawal symtoms. XD Reviews are ALWAYS welcomed. And constructive criticisms are **_**adored. **__**-Lanowen**_


End file.
